7 UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES IN KENYA
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is an organization that works to safeguard world heritage sites and promote universal respect for cultural diversity through educational activities, representation, and dissemination.
Kenya is one of the most popular African destinations for tourists. In fact, it is one of the few African countries that the US Department of State has recognized as a safe destination for American citizens to visit. While most people are aware of the eighth natural wonder in Kenya and its unique biodiversity, fewer people are aware of its cultural significance. These sites have been listed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World register due to their exceptional value in documenting culture and history as well as protecting important local resources that cannot be replicated elsewhere.
The discussed below are the 7 UNESCO world heritage sites in Kenya;
1. FORT JESUS, MOMBASA
Kenya has three cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including this fort. This fort from the sixteenth century was built to protect Mombasa’s Old Port and was added to the list in 2011. Only this fort is kept up by the Portuguese along the Swahili Coast. Therefore, it is also a representation of how Western power was able to establish its grip over trade in the Indian Ocean successfully. The fort’s architecture significantly influenced the site’s cultural heritage. The labor, materials, and construction techniques exhibit Renaissance architectural style and draw inspiration from the surrounding Swahili population. The fort, meanwhile, is regarded as one of the strongest military defenses built in the late Renaissance period.
2. LAMU OLD TOWN
The Lamu Old Town is regarded as the oldest and best-preserved Swahili village along East Africa’s coast. For seven centuries, this village has been continuously inhabited. Some of Kenya’s most orthodox societies are still in this town today.
The Swahili people’s foundation of civilization is Lamu Old Town. The town’s numerous cultural festivals and Islamic holidays serve to remember this. It was included on Kenya’s list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2001.
3. MIJIKENDA KAYA FORESTS
The Kenyan Coast is home to this World Heritage Site. Along Kenya’s 200 kilometers of coastline, there are 11 different forest locations that make up the Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests. The Mijikenda people’s fortified villages are still visible amid the forests. Prior to being abandoned in the 1940s, they were developed in the 16th century. They are now revered as sacred locations and governed by elder councils who view the trees as the eternal homes of their forefathers.
4. KENYA LAKE SYSTEM IN THE GREAT RIFT VALLEY
Lake Elementaita, Lake Nakuru, and Lake Bogoria are the three lakes that make up this lake system. Through subterranean seepage of water, these lakes are hydro-geologically related to one another. These lakes’ alkalinity encourages the growth of the algae that the flamingos eat.
The first natural site on Kenya’s list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites is the Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley. It is a natural setting made up of three lake basins situated at the bottom of a valley. This location’s abundance of migrating birds, great white pelicans, and lesser flamingos is well-known.
5. LAKE TURKANA NATIONAL PARK
Within Kenya’s Lake Turkana this natural area includes three national parks. The site’s scope was increased in 2001 as it was added to Kenya’s list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This location is significant because it is a resting place for migratory birds and a breeding habitat for numerous reptile species, including snakes, hippopotamuses, and Nile crocodiles.
Sibiloi National Park, Lake Turkana, and Central Island comprise the bulk of this park. It serves as a nesting ground and resting place for migratory birds as well as being the location of the Koobi Fora fossil beds.
6. MOUNT KENYA NATIONAL PARK/FOREST
This national park and forest were established in 1949, and in 1997 they were included in Kenya’s list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The creation of this national park had as its goal the preservation of Mount Kenya, its ecosystem, and its animals. This natural setting is essential because it provides a natural habitat for the local animal species. Additionally, it serves as a water catchment area that supplies water to the entire country of Kenya.
The area is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve as well. Actually, this location was mostly a forest reserve before being given the designation of a national park.
7. THIMLICH OHINGA
About 180 kilometers from Kisumu Town, in Migori County, is the town of Thimlich Ohinga. The Luo term for “big citadel” is “Ohinga,” while the word for “terrifying deep woodland” is “Thimlich.”
In addition to being named a conservation site by the Kenya Wildlife Service and National Museums of Kenya, it was inscribed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 2018.
